Amplify Rock Festival
24th January 2020
Central Energy Trust Arena, Palmerston North, New Zealand.
Review by Bridget Herlihy. Photography by Alexander Hallag.
In what is the busiest concert and festival season of the year, music lovers and aficionados alike have been spoilt for choice, with a plethora of acts visiting Aotearoa over the summer months. What is more, it is refreshing to see that an increasing number of events are moving away from the main centres to provincial locations. Last night was Palmerston North’s turn, as the city played host to the inaugural Amplify Rock Festival at the Central Energy Trust Arena. Why Palmerston North you might ask. Well, why not? The city is in the midst of a renaissance of sorts, and is more vibrant than ever, boasting a thriving arts and cultural scene that is going from strength to strength.
On what was a hot and humid Manawatu evening, rock fans both young and not so young trickled into the ‘Ballroom’ of the arena, a cavernous space that is essentially a sporting and events venue – bearing almost no resemblance to a ballroom whatsoever. Regardless, the anticipation of the festival’s line-up was palpable.
Opening the evening’s proceedings were The Vibes (previously known as Brendan Thomas and The Vibes), who some may recall as one of the finalists on the second series of the NZ edition of The X Factor. In the nearly five years since their sojourn on national television, The Vibes have continued to hone their musical prowess. Unfortunately, the crowd was somewhat sparse as they took to the stage, which was not surprising given their 6.05pm slot, and in the moments before they started you could have almost heard a pin drop in the arena. But they soon obliterated the silence, breaking out their own blend of funk infused psychedelic rock, delivering a brief set of predominantly original material.
There is good reason that Hendrix comparisons are often thrown around in reference to front man and guitarist Brendan Thomas; not only does he at times appear to channel the late and great musician, but the band also play a formidable cover of ‘Foxy Lady’. An energetic rendition of their latest single ‘Real World’ and an extended instrumental at the end of their final song ‘Mr High Vibe’ illustrated just how tight and in-synch this three piece is.
Next up were Auckland’s Dead Favours, who served up a set of polished alt rock, much to the delight of the slowly growing crowd. Comprised of tracks from their debut album ‘Misbehaviour’, which dropped last June, the band ripped through songs ‘On Your Own’, ‘Pick My Battles’, and the album’s title track with vigour. Charismatic front man Jarred Wrennall was clearly enjoying himself, commenting that the first show that they had played in the city was one of the best shows that the band had ever played, resulting in the Dead Favours having a great fondness for Palmerston North. As a treat to the enthusiastic audience, they played the final track of their album, the melodic ‘Luxembourg’, as “Palmy deserves something special”, which was incidentally only the second time that the track had ever been performed live. The band concluded their set with their latest single, ‘Noise Beers’, a song about, well, drinking beer funnily enough. Exiting the stage to loud applause, it is safe to say that Dead Favours continue to charm their Palmy fans.
Auckland-based two-piece Skinny Hobos always put on a damn fine show, and tonight was no exception, which was no mean feat given that it was the first time that drummer Sam Holdom (aka Texas Holdem) had played in seven months.
Kicking off with a ferocious rendition of ‘Sevenatenine’, the duo set the pace of their set from the outset. Fan favourite ‘Merchant of Tirau’ had the crowd moving and singing along at the top of their lungs, as did ‘Jacked Like The Ripper’.
Not to be outdone by Dead Favours, Skinny Hobos also had a treat for the crowd, in the form of an electrifying, make you go weak at the knees, rendition of Led Zeppelin’s ‘Immigrant Song’, which had front man Alex Ferrier (aka Alex Elvis) exercising his vocal and guitar playing prowess at full throttle. In a nutshell, the Hobos delivered an absolutely, totally and utterly blistering set that well and truly set the proverbial bar for the remainder of the evening.
Currently celebrating their tenth anniversary, as well as being poised to drop their third album ‘Red’ at the beginning of April, Hamilton four-piece Devilskin were next on the bill. Judging by the number of t-shirts in the crowd, there was no mistaking that many punters were there specifically to see Devilskin. Guitarist Tony ‘Nail’ Vincent, bassist Paul Martin and drummer Nic Martin sauntered onstage to work the crowd into a near frenzy, before front woman Jennie Skulander appeared. And it wasn’t long before she showcased her distinctive, ferocious roar, which was exercised frequently throughout the performance.
Devilskin’s hour long set was an unrelenting aural onslaught that had much of the crowd eagerly lapping up every note, and it was evident that the band have amassed a very dedicated following here in Swamp Town. The set included tracks that spanned the band’s ten year career; ‘Start a Revolution’ had the crowd faithfully singing along with arms flailing about in reckless abandon, as did ‘All Fall Down’, which has arguably become a Devilskin anthem since its release last year. Older track ‘Better Than You’ saw the smoke machines at the front of the stage fire up, much to the delight of the fans, as was guitarist Martin pointing out that that audience was in fact much louder than in Auckland. Rounding out their set with their brand new single ‘Corrode’ and ‘Vessel’ from 2014 album ‘We Rise’, Devilskin delivered an energetic and crowd pleasing set that literally had the floors and the walls pulsating.
Anticipation was running high for headliners Wolfmother, and quite deservedly so. From the moment that the Australian three-piece began to play, they had the crowd in the palm of their collective hands. This was the band’s first show in Aotearoa in three years, and was also one of their first shows for 2020, a year that is set to be busy for the trio as they tour in support of their brand spanking new album ‘Rock’n’roll Baby’. The first of only two NZ shows (the second of which is at the Bay of Islands Music Festival on Saturday), it was a coup for Amplify to have secured Wolfmother to top the night’s bill.
Opening with the soaring ‘Victorious’, the band quickly proved that like a fine wine they have only continued to improve with age. ‘Woman’ featured an off-the-hook guitar solo from front man Andrew Stockdale, who was clearly enjoying himself immensely. An impressive bass solo from Brad Heald and drum solo from Hamish Rosser also followed. Playing a selection of their most loved tracks from the band’s almost two decade career, the eager and appreciative crowd soaked up every second of their mesmerising performance, with Stockdale encouraging the crowd to “get loose” during an electrifying rendition of ‘Vagabond’. A couple of tracks from the new album were thrown into the mix for good measure, including the band’s latest single ‘Higher’, which was the first time the song had been played live, not that anyone would have guessed had he not mentioned it. To say that Wolfmother were a perfect choice to round out the night’s line-up would be an understatement. And with feedback from Stockdale’s guitar echoing throughout the arena for several minutes, and heartfelt thanks and appreciation from Wolfmother as they exited stage left, Amplify was a wrap.
Only time will tell if Amplify will be back for round two in 2021, but given the enthusiastic response it received for its first outing, it is safe to say that rock fans in Palmerston North would be very keen to have it back again.
Were you there in Palmerston North for this magnificent music festival? Or have you seen any of the artists perform somewhere else before? Tell us about it in the comments below!
Wolfmother Setlist:
- Victorious
- New Moon Rising
- Woman
- White Unicorn
- Rock n Roll Survivor
- Dimension
- Apple Tree
- Vagabond
- Colossal/Gypsy
- Higher
- California Queen
- White Feather
- Pyramid
- Joker and the Thief
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